I have always drawn. I can't remember when I didn't want to spend time with a piece of paper and pencil in hand. My high school notes were covered in doodles of strange reptile chefs and embarrassingly, poorly rendered anime faces. (My college notes only fared better because amazingly enough Immunology is hard to understand if you don't take notes.) In my free time I would draw and paint spiraling collages of patterns, plants, and creatures. I would make my own machinery and laugh at its ridiculousness.
But I never wanted to be an artist. In my mind drawing and painting were things to do in my free time.
Instead, I dedicated myself to the world of a BA in Biochemistry. I loved it dearly. The ins and outs of bacterial communication, animal behavior, cellular molecules, and anatomy were fascinating. I got to talk of the frontiers of knowledge. I was around professors who adored what they taught. I had classes where I got to lift up rocks and be stoked about the things I found. It was amazing.
Yet I felt lost.
Really, truly lost. And avoiding that reality wholeheartedly.
So, after I graduated I had no idea what to do. I had put all of this effort into my degree and I couldn't get myself into a job. I tried for a while. I wanted to be useful but I also didn't want to be bored. I could only stand the idea of a lab job if it was interesting to me. I didn't want to be a doctor, but I took the MCAT. I wasn't sure I wanted to do a PhD, but I applied for a degree. I struggled with my apathy for 3 full years.
During that time, I started dedicating myself to art. It started with the spiraling collages (see painting), transformed into illustrations, and eventually has taken on the realism bent it has today. Each of those transformations were brought about by my growing connections with others and myself.
My art is an expression of my connections. It would be would be totally different if-
I didn't have a manager who brought me to an impromptu comic night at a bar.
I didn't get to watch other artists on YouTube or Instagram.
I didn't go to classes with the wonderful Amy Foster and Clinton Snider.
I hadn't started working at Atelier Art Studio two years ago.
So why art? When I think about why I'm an artist it's really quiet simple. Art gives me an opportunity to connect and display the connections that make up my life. It is a place where I can drink in the world deeply, walk beyond the walls of my anxiety, and transform continuously.
-Hanna Sosin